PGA National Resort - The Match

I love match play golf, and while it's one thing to play a match with buddies on any old golf course, it's another to visit a place that insists on a match as the way to experience it, and openly eschews stroke play. Especially at a resort that hosts a PGA Tour event, that's quite a statement.

I'm glad to report that the design of the golf course here backs up its radical point of view. With short grass everywhere, juxtaposed with some imposing and even downright quirky obstacles, The Match is purpose-built. I loved both the interior contours of the greens and some of the run-off slopes that can spell big trouble for an inattentive golfer. There are times when it may be necessary to pick up - that's alright, since the course is wholly unconcerned with stroke play. Given the variety in potential hole locations plus the flexibility of tee areas driven by a total lack of tee markers, this golf course is guaranteed never to play the same way twice. That's a big win in my book.